Complex smells make food more filling

INCORPORATING complex smells into what you eat may produce more satisfying foods.

That’s the conclusion of Rianne Ruijschop at Nizo Food Research in Ede, the Netherlands, and colleagues, who were investigating what effect different aromas have on the feeling of fullness.

The team added two different strawberry aromas to small pots of yoghurt and asked volunteers which was the most filling. Although to the untrained nose the smells were indistinguishable, one pot contained a simple aroma from one chemical, and the other a more complex aroma made up of 15 chemicals.

All 41 volunteers…